The Sunday News
Simon Gama
No one wants to look lousy at a party. Summer is about the only time that others notice the condition of your abdominals, but, every night at bedtime, you know the real situation. It seems whatever the season or geographical location, the midsection of the average person is never quite as tight or sculptured as they would desire.
This goes for the competitive bodybuilder, high school athlete, or the middle- aged working man or woman. If that were not true, the late- night television info-markets would not be inundated with abdominal equipment. Don’t misunderstand me; some of that equipment is really quite innovative, and I am in favour of anything that will motivate non-active people to activity. However, abdominal exercises do not have to be complex, nor do they have to be expensive to be effective.
One of the mechanically easiest and cheapest, yet effective, exercises for the anterior abdominal wall (at least at the beginning of the set, but much more difficult to continue for very long if you are doing it correctly) is the bench crunch.
Anatomy and kinesiology of the upper abdominals
Rectus Abdominis Muscle. Four muscles comprise the anterior abdominal wall, but you can really only see two of them very well. The most recognisable is the rectus abdominis muscle. It is a long strap-like vertical muscle that sits in the very middle of the anterior abdominal wall. It runs in little blocks between the base of the sternum to the midline of the hip structure at the pelvis. It provides the classical “squares” that define the epitome of a well-developed and low-fat abdomen. The rectus abdominis muscle is separated into two halves by a thin tendinous-like part called the linea alba ( literally the “white line”). This linea alba creates a grove in the middle so the abdominal wall appears to have a left and right half to it.
Although there is some genetic variability in both the number band location of the tendinous intersections, usually there are three sets or rows. These rows create blocks of tissue at the level of the xiphoid process below the sternum, the umbilicus (“belly button”) and about halfway between these two structures. These rows can be contracted separately ( in someone with good muscle control or with the proper exercise selection) and of course can be contracted simultaneously. Because the fibres are short, and only run from one tendinous grooves, almost like small ropes. The thicker the muscle fibres, the greater will be their rounded rope-like appearance in each block of tissue.
The rectus abdominisa has a taper to it, so it is three times as wide at the top (superiorly) as it is at the bottom ( inferiorly). Because wider muscles will have more fibres than thinner muscles, the upper ( or superior) portions of the rectus abdominis closer to the ribs will be stronger than the lower ( or inferior) parts of the muscle that are closer to the hip.
Muscles do only one thing, which is shorten. Since the rectus abdominis stretch as a unit from the ribs to the pelvis when the fibres shorten, they can either pull the ribs closer to the hip, or the hip closer to the ribs.
Because the upper regions of the muscles are much stronger than the lower regions, this muscle is better at pulling the chest closer to the hips.
If only the right side ( for example) is contracted, the chest and trunk is laterally flexed or twisted towards the right side and therefore towards the right hip ban thigh.
